Une Envie de Sel

Hard to believe, but it would seem that the holidays are upon us. In spite of finding the perfect gift for our Q on Pia's website, I still have a few favorite gift ideas floating around, and maybe they'll be useful to someone else!
I absolutely covet these made-to-order, papered resin deer heads (no deer harmed!) with a keyhole hanger concealed in the back. If I had the space and the discretionary funds, I would have several. Just gorgeous. Out of London by way of the Etsy shop of rubyslounge

Obviously, I'm a camera junkie, and I can't resist a few prints from some of the most exciting contemporary photographers out there. From the Etsy shop of matchstickgirl (www.francesjmelhop.com), an illustrator and fashion photographer who works in fairytale-infused style with a bit of an edge. These are original polaroids from her fashion shoots at a castle on Lake Como. I love the edgy style mixed with the sepia tone of another era. Not inexpensive, as you can imagine, but if you can afford it....



Always a staple for me when the holidays come around...Gift tags from the Etsy shop of Bluebirdlane, which carries a vast selection of vintage-look tags, cards and journals.

Ah, Polaroids. What don't I love about them? We had quite a few when I was growing up, and I still love those photos the best by far...the most stylish, the most romantic, the most moody. So I had to include the photography of one of my favorites...the translucent, buttery images of Jenifer Altman at nectarandlight.typepad.com. This image is an 8x8 archival print of a Polaroid Land Camera, available at her Etsy shop under the seller name fieryeyed.
I am (as many are) an avid follower of Maddie's blog, persistingstars.blogspot.com
Her images always strike a chord in my heart. I have this one, so I had to put it in here. Available at her Etsy shop couragemylove.
Since becoming a mother, wooden objects have become especially dear to my heart. My father used to carve toys for me by hand, with love, and those were always the most precious.
Hence this hand-carved buck and doe deer from the Etsy shop of SandraHealy . These are individually carved and painted with water-based inks. Each is just the right size to cradle in the hand, as, to my mind, should any hand-carved object be.
I am a great fan of HidenSeek’s mysterious and slightly dark illustrations. This one is called “seduction” and tagged with the description “I’ll tame you”. She makes art prints, cards, buttons, etc and has an Etsy shop as well as a website at http://HiddenEloise.com


Mustache on a stick from Etsy shop of somethingshidinghere . Because, who doesn’t need an instant disguise now and then? Last Christmas my entire family wore mustaches on Christmas day...even the babies. It was marvelous, and made for the best set of Christmas pictures ever.


I've never been a big fan of eating off plastics, and even less so for my child's sake. This cherry wood child's place setting from palumba.com is the perfect solution. As easy on the eye as it is on the body.
For the sake of sheer luxury, vintage Moroccan Beni Ourain carpets at the beautiful blog of Maryam at My Marrakesh (moroccanmaryam.typepad.com) Absolutely gorgeous and lush and exotic in any number of settings.


And finally...Wyatt the knitted bear from the Etsy shop of simplijessi . Hand-knitted with a natural wool blend and washable eco-friendly stuffing.